The Perfect Follies Recording?- Page 2

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 9/11/06 at 9:21am

Diana Rigg's arch 'Ah, but underneath' is fantastic (and far better than on the Papermill version), but runs in with the previous track on the CD I have...

[Smaxie]

Posted: 9/11/06 at 10:14am

That's debatable. I feel Hoty sings it better, and Tunick also gave a brush up to his orchestrations for "Ah, But Underneath" for the Paper Mill production/recording.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 9/11/06 at 10:48am

All of these songs belong to the original cast. Noone has surpassed those vocal performances, save "One More Kiss." Erie Mills and Licia Albanese make my tears well from the 1985 concert...and even the two from Paper Mill are better than Mallory/Johnson of the original cast.

Had it been recorded, I think that Polly Bergen gave a helluva "I'm Still Here", though perhaps not better than DeCarlo.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/11/06 at 11:15am

I don't think Bergen's "I'm Still Here" comes anywhere close to DeCarlo's, Stritch's, or even Ann Margaret's.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 9/11/06 at 7:30pm

How about Dorothy Loudon's "I'm Still Here" from The Stephen Sondheim Album? I actually prefer it to Stritch's, yet I believe it's a la par with Nancy Walker's and Ann Miller's. Polly Bergen was one of the few good things about the 2001 revival but I doubt her rendition of the song would've been close to the best.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 10:42am

FoscasBohemianDream, I'm just curious to what you think about Yvonne De Carlo. and can we at least agree that Alexis Smith gives the best rendition of Could I Leave You?

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 10:52am

I'll agree with that jboy.

I adore De Carlo's "I'm Still Here" but, alas, never saw it. I've always wondered HOW she slipped thru the Tony nominating committee.

I guess I am the only one who really loved Bergen's version. I've always loved her voice, but thought her interpretation was amazing.

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 2:43pm

Jewishboy, I think we all agree Alexis Smith's "Could I Leave You?" is definite.
I love DeCarlo's "I'm Still Here," but honestly I don't think it's the best. Nancy Walker, Elaine Stritch, Anne Miller, and Dorothy Loudon all add something different to it that I find more appealing (this is a personal opinion, not necessarily the right one) than DeCarlo.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 2:51pm

For my money it doesn't get any better than Mandy Patinkin's version of Buddy's Blues on the concert album.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 3:06pm

Thank you FoscasBohemianDream and remember this is all opinianated, there is no right answer. Like, my personal favorite Uptown Downtown is sung by Craig Lucas on Marry Me a Little.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 9/12/06 at 4:41pm

"Losing my Mind"- Barbara Cook (Concert Cast)

The best by far!

As for Phyllis Newman singing "Who's that Woman", I think the 1998 version is better because she gets drowned out in the end of the Concert Recording.